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NL Notes: Loria, Cardinals, Feldman

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What kind of Marlins owner Derek Jeter will make is far less important than the fact that Jeffrey Loria is leaving, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel writes. Loria frequently upstaged the Marlins’ on-field play with off-field drama, including ballpark financing issues, a revolving door to the manager’s office, and constant changes of direction. Meanwhile, the team Jeter and company will take over is no prize — the team isn’t currently contending, there’s already lots of money tied up in player salaries for next season, and the franchise’s minor-league system is poor. Here’s more from the National League.

  • The Cardinals are comfortable with their outfield and will not be pursuing Jay Bruce-type trades in the August market, GM Mike Girsch tells MLB Network Radio (on Twitter). (Bruce himself, of course, is no longer available after being traded to Cleveland, but Girsch is saying the Cardinals do not intend to pursue that sort of player.) Girsch says the Cardinals remain open to making trades, as one might expect. But, he adds, “Realistically, making meaningful upgrades in August is a challenge.”
  • The Reds have announced that righty Scott Feldman will start tonight against Milwaukee as he returns from about four weeks on the DL with knee inflammation. That’s significant because Feldman could be a trade candidate this month — he’s a free agent after the season and might very well have been traded last month had he not been hurt. It’s also possible Feldman could be claimed should the Reds place him on revocable waivers, since he’s only making $2.3MM this season and has produced a 4.34 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 103 2/3 innings.

Yankees Place Masahiro Tanaka On 10-Day DL With Shoulder Inflammation

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12:02pm: There is nothing structurally wrong with Tanaka’s shoulder, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets. Tanaka simply told the team that his arm was tired, and the Yankees are giving him a short break.

11:33am: The Yankees have announced that they’ve placed righty Masahiro Tanaka on the 10-day DL with shoulder inflammation. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve recalled righty reliever Giovanny Gallegos from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tanaka has posted a 4.92 ERA and allowed 28 home runs over 133 2/3 innings this season, although his strikeout and walk numbers (9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9) have been fine. He left Wednesday’s start against the Blue Jays after allowing five walks in four innings, however.

While a trip to the DL with a shoulder injury doesn’t always mean that injury is significant, it’s certainly worth watching. Tanaka missed time due to arm issues in 2014 and 2015, although those were to his wrist, forearm and elbow, not his shoulder. The seriousness of his current injury is unclear.

In the short term, the Yankees will have to fill a rotation that’s also currently missing CC Sabathia, who’s out with a knee inflammation, and Michael Pineda, who has a UCL injury. The Yankees recently promoted Jordan Montgomery to take Sabathia’s place.

Red Sox Place Dustin Pedroia On 10-Day DL

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The Red Sox have announced they’ve placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day DL with left knee inflammation. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve recalled lefty Robby Scott from Triple-A Pawtucket.

This is the second time in the past two weeks the Red Sox have placed Pedroia on the DL with knee inflammation. He returned from the DL last week but played just one day before the injury sidelined him again. The 33-year-old has batted .303/.378/.406 in 388 plate appearances this season. The newly acquired Eduardo Nunez generally played second base during Pedroia’s last DL stint, with Rafael Devers at third, and that appears likely to be the Red Sox’ approach again this time.

Blue Jays Place Russell Martin On DL, Designate Chris Coghlan & Chris Smith

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The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve placed catcher Russell Martin on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. They’ve also designated outfielder Chris Coghlan and righty Chris Smith for assignment and selected the contracts of righty Chris Rowley and catcher Mike Ohlman.

Martin left yesterday’s game due to the oblique strain. For the season, the veteran is batting .223/.354/.381 with 12 homers and 49 walks in 329 plate appearances. Rafael Lopez figures to take over at catcher in his absence, with Ohlman, who was batting .222/.343/.418 at Triple-A Buffalo, also helping out. Martin joins two other catchers, Miguel Montero and Luke Maile, on the DL.

The 32-year-old Coghlan signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays in April after the Phillies released him. He batted .200/.299/.267 in brief duty with the Blue Jays before hitting the DL with a wrist injury. He was in the midst of a rehab assignment with Class A+ Dunedin.

The 28-year-old Smith has posted a 4.26 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 in 25 1/3 innings of relief for Buffalo this season. He made his big-league debut earlier this season, pitching five innings and allowing three runs.

The Jays signed the 26-year-old Rowley as a minor-league free agent out of West Point in 2013. After missing two years to a military assignment, he’s moved through the minors quickly, and now he’s in the midst of a strong season, posting a 2.29 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 106 1/3 innings split between Buffalo and Double-A New Hampshire. He’s set to start today against the Pirates and will become the first West Point graduate to pitch in the Majors, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith notes.

AL Notes: Park, Sabathia, Royals

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After an underwhelming start to his US career in 2016, Twins first baseman ByungHo Park has yet to appear in the Majors this season, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press notes. Park arrived in the US with fanfare but batted just .191 in his rookie season, and the 31-year-old is now hitting just .260/.318/.417 with just nine home runs over 368 plate appearances with Triple-A Rochester. Park’s friend and South Korean countryman Shin-Soo Choo says Park “really wants to do something here” in the United States. Choo’s comment came in what appears to have been a response to a question from Berardino about whether Park and the Twins might reach a deal on a buyout for the remainder of Park’s contract. Park is set to make $3MM in both 2018 and 2019, plus a $500K buyout or a $6.5MM option for 2020. Berardino quotes a scout, however, who notes that Park might not be able to make that kind of money were he to leave the US to return to the KBO. Here’s more from the American League.

  • Prior to yesterday’s game, the Yankees placed lefty CC Sabathia on the DL with knee inflammation. To take his place on the active roster, they recalled righty Jordan Montgomery from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Sabathia left his last start due to issues with his knee, so his DL placement doesn’t come as a surprise, but his situation has to be frustrating for the Yankees — Sabathia is in the midst of a solid season, with a 4.05 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 thus far. Montgomery is scheduled to start tomorrow against Boston.
  • The Royals swing at more of the pitches they see — 50.9% — than any team, and are on pace to swing at more pitches than any team since at least 2002, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star writes. The approach hasn’t been particularly successful overall — the Royals are currently tied for 12th in the AL in runs scored. Of course, Kansas City’s freest swingers include Salvador Perez (58.5% swing percentage) and Mike Moustakas (56.9%), who are both in the midst of good seasons. “You don’t think we address that all the time?” says Royals manager Ned Yost. “Of course, we do. We talk about being more selective and getting better pitches. But again, these guys are who they are.”

5 Key Stories: 8/5/17 – 8/11/17

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Here are the key stories from this week at MLBTR.

Jeffrey Loria to sell Marlins to Derek Jeter’s group. It’s been a long time coming, but Jeffrey Loria has agreed to sell the Marlins to Derek Jeter’s ownership group for $1.2B. It appears another bidder, local billionaire Jorge Mas, could be involved in Jeter’s group as well. Current Marlins front-office execs David Samson and Michael Hill will remain with the team.

Indians acquire Jay Bruce. The Indians bolstered their outfield by acquiring Jay Bruce from the Mets in exchange for minor-league pitcher Ryder Ryan. Bruce had ranked second on MLBTR’s list of the Top 25 August Trade Candidates. In the wake of the deal, the Mets promoted top first base prospect Dominic Smith to the Majors.

"<strongMariners acquire Yonder Alonso. The Mariners struck a significant deal with a division rival, adding first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Athletics in exchange for outfielder Boog Powell. The Mariners had been pursuing Alonso since before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. This week, the M’s also struck a variety of smaller deals to add depth to an injury-ravaged collection of pitchers, acquiring Ryan Garton from the Rays, Ernesto Frieri from the Rangers and Andrew Albers from the Braves.

Pirates acquire Sean Rodriguez. The Bucs made a deal to re-acquire utilityman Sean Rodriguez (and, significantly, the remainder of his contract) from the Braves in exchange for minor-league corner player Connor Joe. Rodriguez, who hit well with the Pirates in 2016, will give the team an alternative to Jung Ho Kang, who has not yet played this season as he deals with visa issues. The Pirates also added George Kontos on a significant waiver claim this week, as the Giants placed the veteran reliever on revocable waivers and then let him head to Pittsburgh for free. The Braves were also active in other moves this week, not only sending Albers to the Mariners but also acquiring first baseman Kevin Franklin from the Reds as the player to be named in the Brandon Phillips deal.

Injury news on Willson Contreras, Felix Hernandez, Troy Tulowitzki and Phil Hughes. This week saw a number of significant injury developments. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras injured his hamstring and is out four to six weeks, so the Cubs will lean on new acquisition Alex Avila as their starting catcher for the time being. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez was diagnosed with shoulder bursitis that should keep him out three to four weeks. The Blue Jays moved shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (ankle) to the 60-day DL, effectively ending his season. And Phil Hughes underwent thoracic outlet syndrome revision surgery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Designate Mike Bolsinger For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve designated righty Mike Bolsinger for assignment. The move clears roster space for righty Taylor Cole, whose contract they’ve selected from Triple-A Buffalo.

The 29-year-old Bolsinger made five starts and six relief appearances for the Jays this season, posting a 6.31 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 while allowing nine home runs in 41 1/3 innings. This is the third time he’s been designated for assignment this year. The soft-tosser had allowed runs in all of his previous five appearances, including four yesterday against the Astros. He’s also pitched for the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in a big-league career that spans parts of four seasons.

The 27-year-old Cole has missed most of the season to injury, but hasn’t yet allowed a run in 12 2/3 innings spanning three minor-league levels. The 2011 29th-round pick has moved through the Jays’ minor-league system slowly despite generally good performances, including a 2014 season in which he whiffed 181 batters in 144 1/3 innings at Class A+ and Double-A. He has never pitched in the big leagues.

 

Rockies Reinstate Chad Bettis, Place Kyle Freeland On 10-Day DL

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The Rockies have announced that they’ve reinstated righty Chad Bettis from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A. They’ve also placed lefty Kyle Freeland on the 10-day DL with a groin strain. In addition, they’ve recalled righties Shane Carle and Carlos Estevez and optioned Scott Oberg to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Bettis’ return to official minor-league duty, as well as his impending return to the Majors, is terrific news not only for the Rockies and their fans but for baseball as a whole. The righty had surgery for testicular cancer in the offseason, then began chemotherapy a few months later once it turned out the cancer had spread. He finished chemo in mid-May and returned to the Rockies in early June. He’s since had five rehab appearances, and he’s expected to return to the big-league rotation next week. Bettis posted a 4.79 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 186 innings in the big leagues last year.

Freeland left yesterday’s start against Philadelphia after just nine pitches. The 2014 eighth overall pick been one of the keys to the Rockies’ surprising success this season, posting a 3.70 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings in what’s been a strong rookie year.

Pirates Claim George Kontos From Giants

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The Giants have announced that the Pirates have been awarded Giants reliever George Kontos on a waiver claim. The Giants evidently placed Kontos on revocable waivers, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, then gave him up without receiving anything in return. To clear space for Kontos and the newly acquired Sean Rodriguez, the Pirates have designated reliever Jhan Marinez and outfielder Danny Ortiz for assignment.

For the Giants, the move clears a 25-man spot for Chris Stratton, who is set to pitch against the Diamondbacks today, and a more permanent spot in the bullpen for Matt Cain. It also clears a 40-man spot for Pablo Sandoval, who the team recently promoted.

That the Giants would essentially give Kontos away still rates as something of a surprise, since he’s been effective this season. The 32-year-old righty has posted a 3.83 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 47.9 GB%. While Kontos’ exact profile has shifted from year to year (he had a K/9 of just 5.9 last season, for example), he’s been effective since joining the Giants early in the 2012 season and has a 3.05 career ERA, albeit with peripherals that are somewhat less impressive than that.

Kontos will help bolster a Pirates bullpen that has rated as about average this season and that effectively swapped Tony Watson for Joaquin Benoit at the trade deadline. If Kontos performs well for the Pirates, they can keep him beyond this season — he makes just $1.75MM this year, and is not eligible for free agency until after 2019.

The 28-year-old Marinez arrived in Pittsburgh via a waiver claim from the Brewers in May. He posted a 3.18 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 34 innings in the Pirates’ bullpen and has a career 50.7 GB%. He’s struggled with walks in the past, but with his mid-90s fastball and ground-ball-heavy profile, he could attract interest on the waiver wire yet again.

The 27-year-old Ortiz has spent the bulk of the 2017 season with Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .259/.291/.450 over 342 plate appearances while playing all three outfield spots. The Twins product also collected his first 13 big-league plate appearances this season.

Athletics Designate Ryan Lavarnway For Assignment

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The Athletics have added the Dustin Garneau to their active roster and designated fellow catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California tweets. The A’s claimed Garneau from the Rockies yesterday.

The A’s signed Lavarnway to a minor-league deal last offseason and have now added him to their roster and designated him twice. He’s spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Nashville and has hit .262/.346/.385, also collecting a handful of plate appearances in the big leagues. The well traveled 29-year-old played for several years in the Red Sox organization before playing in the Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays organizations in the past two seasons. He has a career .369 OBP at the Triple-A level.

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